2013 BMW M135i Hatchback Euro-Spec First Drive

Sharp, Simple, and Transparently Joyful

The BMW 1 Series M Coupe is all done. It's out of production. And that's sad for those who think M cars should be a light and pure connection between the road and a driver's nerve endings. Luckily, there is an antidote -- and it's not even a full-blown M car. It's the new 2013 BMW M135i.

We've been driving it in hatchback form in Germany near BMW's Munich home. The hatch won't come to the U.S., but next year a two-door notchback coupe version will cross the Atlantic. Enthusiasts should be elbowing each other aside as they wait for that ship to dock.The M135i is part of a new line of cars called M Performance Automobiles. They're positioned as midway point between full-bore M cars and regular production BMWs. They have tuning input from the M division engineers. They haven't been launched in the U.S. because up to this point they've all been diesels, albeit astoundingly quick ones.

The M135 is the first and so far only BMW M Performance Automobile with gasoline power. It has the single-turbo straight-six N55 engine, rather than the obsolete twin-turbo used in the old 1 Series M. Power has been bumped up a bit over the 335i, with 315 horsepower compared to 300, and torque at 332 lb-ft instead of 300.What distinguishes this engine from many others that use a turbo as a substitute for displacement is that it's keen to rev, sprinting urgently up to and past its 7000 rpm redline. The rear axle is comparatively short and the autobox programming aggressive, so you can get that lovely redline tingle several times in a sequence of bends and straights. On the autobahn, it's still accelerating hard beyond 140 mph.

But performance was always going to be strong because BMW's spec numbers put the M135i at 150 pounds lighter than the 335i sedan, and its drag is lower as well. It sounds as good as it goes. It's louder and more insistent than a 335i at medium rpms, and less relaxing at a cruise. In the upper quarter of the revs it comes over with all the multi-layer howl of the epic Munich motors of memory.

The second-generation 1 Series rides on chassis hardware mostly taken from the new 3 Series, and it's wider than the old 1 Series (closer, in fact, to the flared-arch 1M). For the M135i, the M guys added a steering rack that's high geared in the straight-ahead and even higher geared off-center. Engineers also devised a special front-end geometry and tightened the springs and dampers all round. Tires are sized 225 front, 245 rear on 18-inch rims, and the brakes are special four-piston jobs up front.

To meet a wider remit, the M135i has more drivetrain and chassis options than the old 1 Series M. Oh, you can still go that way by having stick shift, rear-wheel drive, and passive dampers. Or, by adding eight-speed auto transmission, xDrive AWD, and adaptive dampers, you can have something that'll still do hot laps but commute more comfortably all year. In Europe it comes as two-door hatch and four-door hatch. Our tester was two-door, RWD, automatic and ticked the adaptive chassis box.It's not just the performance that's deeply impressive and seeming all-encompassing. So is the grip. Our drive covered dry asphalt and the more treacherous greasily damp kind, and the M135i barely flinched. When it did begin to wriggle around, it was predictable and communicative. It does without an M limited-slip diff and relies on brake-activated torque transfer from a spinning wheel, but traction is arguably as immense.

The electric power steering has beautiful progression and enough feel, so its sharp ratio is an asset instead of a liability, making the car gorgeously agile. We ran with the chassis in Comfort mode because the steering was unnecessarily heavy in Sport without adding feel. Comfort also allowed greater ride suppleness from the dampers and more even traction over bumps, without significant loss of body control.

But lest you think we were dawdling, we kept the DSC in Dynamic Traction mode, which allows the rear tires to step out a little if the driver deals out the corrective lock.So the Ml135i is plenty of fun for full-strength blast, but it's also a car you could live with. The seats are sporting rather than racy, so you get a bit of padding and lots of adjustment. The equipment list takes in high-end telematics options and driver aids such as radar cruise, a camera that reads speed limits, and warnings for lane departure and blind-spot. The cabin is a more cheerfully decorated place than the last 1 Series, too.And yet, because this is M-lite and avoids M-car extravagances (no carbon roof, no sheetmetal mods, no M diff, no DCT), it's a bargain. In Europe the price is just three-fourths of what BMW asked for the old 1 Series M.We ended the day wondering about the M Performance mission. The company says it's about being partway to an M, but to us it was a whole lot better than that. It's nothing like the complicated but disconcertingly opaque new M6. Instead it recalls the sharp, simple, transparently joyful M cars of old.

@T1ger0711I agree with your statement. However, you have to remember that it costs a whole lot more money to register an imported diesel engine in the US than a gas engine, which is part of the reason why diesels are $5k-$7k more than their gas variants. There needs to be a pretty strong business case to ship a diesel variant overseas. Our government unanimously favors hybrids, while diesels get pushed to the side in their eyes. It is a shame, but it is the extreme costs that shun automakers away from importing diesel cars.

are you kidding me? why doesn't BMW MPA bring over the performance diesel models? If they want to make a case for the new generation of diesel power-trains and what their capabilities can be if tuned properly what better opportunity than to convince the enthusiast market in the USA with an exclusive line of performance oriented vehicles that no one yet offers except them? they'd have market control at least for 2-3 years while audi and m-b sit on their hands.why can't one competent automaker have the balls to make the switch and convince the US car buyer market that the new diesel engines and power-trains are more efficient, more powerful, more daily livable, and more reliable than their gas or hybrid variants?sincerely, frustrated enthusiast.

@Roscoe108I apologize for offending you. That's just the first thing that comes to mind when I see the front end of this car. At least you drive the current 1-series. Not a beautiful car, IMO, but much more tolerable to look at than this.

Sounds like a great car...Too bad those down-syndrome headlights ruin it for me. The current 1-series is pretty ugly, but this one makes it look gorgeous in comparison. The amount of ugly on this car is second only to the 5-series GT in the BMW lineup, IMO.

Uh, I actually just saw this car in south Austin cruising next to me about 2 hours ago. It was this color too. I remember seeing this car right here on Motortrend a little while ago, I'm not too familiar (at all) with bimmers, but I remembered the looks of this one.Could this one have been imported?

@bcwells09It's just the options that are out of hand these days. A loaded 335i M-Sport tops out somewhere near $60k which is ludicrous. So in that light, if a decently equipped M235i (or whatever absurd name BMW wants to give it) ended up in the low-to-mid 40s, I would definitely buy one. Like others have said, it has a ton going for it - light, tossable, and M-tuned, but still a great refined daily driver. That's what I personally want, and I would pay for it as long as it drives as well as the reviews have said and has a better looking face. I do think the current 1-series is pretty hideous from the front, at least in pictures.In any case BMWs have never been great from a pure price/performance standpoint. If you want a lot of speed on the cheap you could always snag a Mustang GT with a track pack.

I am amazed .. AMAZED that most folks bring up the outrage prices of the 3 series up and the current one series here in the USAnd they yet say they would pay $45K for this monstrosity in a heartbeat?Really folks?

Bring this car to the us and I will buy it stat. lighter than a 335i and has a little more sharpnes to a already great car I so want it. it's probably a 13 second car and the steering is fantastic you can haul stuff in it. sell this for 45k and it will fly.

I can't think of any downsides to this car aside from the awkward headlights. The M sport treatment makes the front look a LOT better than normal 1er hatches. From what I've heard the 2-series coupe/convertible might have a different front fascia.

All the test drives of this car make it sound great: simple and a blast to drive, like classic BMWs... if they make the coupe good looking and price around $45k or so I would buy it in a second. Just don't put that front on it!!Also, the 3-series really has been getting up there in size and price. And with the Germans all pushing smaller sedans (A3/CLA) into the mix, it's been rumored that BMW might build a sedan off the F20 1-series. E46 reincarnated sound good to anybody?

It is annoying and insulting that the coupe is coming to the U.S. and the hatchback is not. Other than the ridiculous looking Fetal Alcohol Syndrome headlights, this is what BMW always has been up until the last few years: agile, fairly light weight vehicles with character, not heavy, obscene monstrosities with more power than driving pleasure.

God BMW! The 6/ 6 GC are beautiful... The new 7 is very handsome... The new 3 is safe... WTF is this? It looks like it is about to spawn into a sea monster or like it is about to cry some really ugly tears.